More residents from Florida have been charged in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol than from any other state. Some of the most prominent leaders of the far-right “patriot” movement are from here, too. The state now has 68 hate groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the second-highest number in the nation after California. Last month, neo-Nazi groups demonstrated openly in Orlando.
Florida has an extremist problem, and we need to confront it head-on.
Florida’s role in the attack of Jan. 6 , 2021, should put us all on notice about what’s brewing in this state. So far, 79 out of a total 734 federal Jan. 6 cases involve Florida residents, according to stories in the Miami Herald that focused on far-right groups, including the Oath Keepers. Based on population, that means the state is overrepresented, as are other states, such as Pennsylvania.
